Who's buzzworthy at the University of Rochester?

The Students’ Association of Vegan and Vegetarian Youth is really blossoming. Thanks to the leadership of two students, Melody Jaros ’14 and Simone Arnold ’16, the group played a pivotal activist role in the ‘A’ rating given to University Dining by PETA. Overall, SAVVY takes a holistic approach to well-being, with a comprehensive view of providing good nutrition through vegan or vegetarian choices according to Jaros, the group’s dining representative. Jaros was President of SAVVY last year the dining rep since her freshman year. Jaros aims to “convert people through food.” She worked closely with Dining Services to assure that they were able to meet the guidelines set by PETA and in her view, the collaboration has been a successful one. The university met nine of ten criteria, Meatless Mondays being one of these requirements. Perhaps the greatest difficulty faced by a vegan student eating on campus is the limited menu provided by Wilson Commons, for those on low-declining option meal plans. However, every Meatless Monday, these students can use their declining to get all they can eat on a healthy vegan diet.

In addition to holding weekly meetings, SAVVY holds two main events annually: the 30 day veg challenge in the fall and Meat-Out in the spring. At their meetings, this vegan/vegetarian club often hosts nutritionists as well as proponents of veganism and vegan awareness. In addition to Meatless Mondays, SAVVY works closely with Dining to raise awareness of the veg challenge and the various vegan and vegetarian options available to students on campus. One of the biggest challenges to convenient vegan options is providing non-dairy alternatives to milk & cheese, often accomplished by using almond, soy, or rice milk instead. In fact, this reporter sat down with Melody, and found out how milk is extracted from an almond. It’s actually rather simple: first, the crushed almonds are soaked in water, and then they’re pressed through cheesecloth. In spite of some difficulties faced by those on declining meal plans, SAVVY maintains that it is quite possible to obtain a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet here on campus.

Jaros and Arnold, the group’s current President, were not always vegan. Jaros, like many vegans, made the gradual transition over the course of a few months after realizing the only meat she’d been eating was the ham in her favorite split-pea soup.

Arnold has been a vegan for over a year, after completing her own “30 day challenge.” She has a wide range of motives for making this shift, including her opposition to the animal-agricultural industry, as well being a pacifist, and what she learned in an ethics course taken here at the U of R. The change also came as a result of a new perspective her boyfriend gained abroad, after seeing a traditional slaughter. In a show of sympathy for his newfound vegetarian sensibilities, Simone decided to become a vegetarian for 30 days, transitioning to veganism fully over the course of the next few months.

Arnold also sits on the Pollination Project’s youth panel, a nonprofit organization that seeks to reach out to well-planned, passionate volunteers who need seed money for their operations. As a member of this committee, she will direct significant block grants to various sustainable social justice outreach organizations. Some criteria for obtaining these funds are: impacting large numbers of youth, having raised some of their own funds already, and having goals of realistic size and scope.

Whether it’s Meatless Monday, the veg challenge, or the next decision of the Pollination Project, SAVVY attitudes are really blossoming at the U of R!

Dining Services – For the second year in a row, the University of Rochester has been chosen as one of the Most Vegan-Friendly Colleges in the U.S by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Peta2, PETA’s youth division, is letting fans decide who gets the top honor as the Most Vegan-Friendly College through an online voting contest. Rochester is up against 31 other institutions in the small schools division. Help the University land the top spot and cast your vote for the U of R here.

Rochester’s nomination to the list was based on a number of factors, including both the quality and quantity of vegan options available to students on campus as well as feedback from students on the receptiveness and creativity of dining staff. SAVVY and Team Green are two groups on campus whose efforts have helped the University increase its vegan options. Team Green, in partnership with SAVVY, UHS, and Dining Services, was instrumental in organizing Meatless Mondays, while SAVVY has worked with Dining Services on initiatives including the Vegan Zone, consistent vegan soups, and various featured dishes. Check out some of SAVVY’s favorite vegan and vegetarian dishes here or for questions about the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle or vegan/vegetarian dining at Rochester, email Campus Nutritionist Christina Patterson at patterson-christina@aramark.com.

Univ. Communications – If you walked by the Rush Rhees display shelf near the circulation desk recently, you may have seen a feature on vegan and vegetarian culture. The display is part of an effort by Rush Rhees Library to highlight books on topics of interest to students.

The Student Association of Vegan and Vegetarian Youth, or SAVVY, worked with Rush Rhees Library staff to give students the opportunity to learn more about vegan and vegetarian life. The display, located by the circulation desk, features books on topics ranging from the botany of different herbs and spices, a history of the animal rights movement, to modern recipes for a kemetic diet.

SAVVY is made up of dedicated students who want to increase awareness of veganism and provide support for vegans and vegetarians. The core issues of advocacy include animal welfare and sustainable agriculture. “As the only vegan/vegetarian club on campus, SAVVY has a unique and vital role in raising awareness about the positive environmental, physical, and psychological benefits of abstaining from meat and animal products,” says Melody Jaros ’14, president of SAVVY. Creating a display of relevant reading material is one way that SAVVY can achieve that goal.

While SAVVY’s books are no longer on display, they are available for check out at the library. Currently, the display shelves feature books related to Asian Heritage Month, which runs through April. If you or your group would like to feature books on a particular topic of interest in Rush Rhees, email Mari Lenoe at mlenoe@library.rochester.edu. If your topic is science related, please email Sue Cardinal in the Carlson library at scardinal@library.rochester.edu.

Article written by Dan Wang, a sophomore at Rochester, who studies philosophy and economics.